Oz selectors worry over Hughes' Ashes fate following flop show at Mohali

Sydney, Mar 16 (ANI): Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes has reportedly worried the selectors with his dismal performance in the second day of the Mohali Test, and has made them rethink his selection for the squad for the July Ashes.

According to News.com.au, Hughes, who scored 27 runs in five innings at a lowly average of 5.4, should be rested for the fourth and final Test in Delhi if suspended vice-captain Shane Watson agrees to return to India following the birth of his son.

Stating that cricket in India is hot, manic and suffocating and can sap spirits and destroy the soul, the report stated the Hughes seemed helpless batting on a pitch which was completely alien to Australian surfaces.

Mentioning coach Mickey Arthur's concern that scheduling a tour of India just 16 weeks before the Ashes may have a potential for casualties, the report said that Arthur had meant a casualty like Hughes, whose high Test average of 51.25 two years ago has slipped to 32.48.

The report also mentioned Hughes' batting coach Neil D'Costa's allegations that Cricket Australia had refused him one-on-one time to prepare Hughes for batting in India due to time constraints, although it added that the important issue at present is to rebuild Hughes for the Ashes.

The report further said that it will be a sad outcome for the team if Hughes is dropped from the Delhi Test as he is a popular squad member and one of Australia's few young batting talents, who was desperately sought by the selectors to succeed in his third personification at Test level. (ANI)